You Remind Me So Much of Her
by TifaRokkuhato
Summary: A young girl feels out of place in her own world, so what happens when she gets taken to one she's never heard of, and meets a whole new group of people? Mystery parings, strong language. Takes place 1 year after DOC.
1. Going 'home'

Hey :)

Here is my new fanfiction! this is going to be a long one, even if the 1st chapter is so short and I should be updating on a regular period.  
>And yes, even though I am a HUGE Cloti fan, I decided to do a CloudxOC, which could be classed as CloudxAerith... if you read it it will make sense.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey, come on, lets go to the restaurant." My friend slurred into my ear.<p>

"I'm going to go home."

Like I wanted to go home. I had only gone to the pub with my 'best friend' because I wanted to do something before I went round the bend.

"Pleeease..." Jessica begged, talking (I say talking, I could barely understand what she was saying) right in my ear, the strong taste of vodka that infused her tongue staring to invade my nose.

I really hated going to parties. In fact, I didn't hate them: I despised them. Having to talk to everyone so you don't seem like a unsocial bum, having to eat so people don't look at you weird, having to dance in the big crowds so you didn't look like a claustrophobic, and worst of all, I always ended up dragging back one of my drunk friends.

"I'm calling you a taxi."

"I don't... I don't need one." I picked up my phone, and started dialing the number for a taxi.

"Yes, 93 Princess avenue. Thanks." I said through the phone.

"Sorted. Right, I'm heading off."

"Pleeease don't leave me." Jessica begged, followed by a hiccup, then a burp that encouraged the alcoholic breath to disperse and go into my nose, causing me to gag and back off slightly.

"For fucks sake, wait here, don't move, don't kill yourself, and bloody hell, don't hit on the taxi driver." She was testing my patience big time.

"You... you, you need to sort out your language problem." She slurred in reply.

"You need to sort out that bastard of a drinking problem." I replied in an angry tone, a millimeter away from slapping some sense into her.

I was surprised I hadn't become an alcoholic myself. Not like Jess was one or anything: she had just got back from a party.

I had lost everything: my family, my friends. I had no money to keep me alive barely, and I seemed to be crashing a every corner.

But the main reason was that the one thing I hated most in the whole world was drunk people.

Not because they were drunk, or annoying. They get violent. And I get very angry at them.

But those horrid thoughts aren't relevant.

I was walking away from her, my skinny body walking away from the "best friend."

"I'm leaving you, going home, and don't try and fucking stop me."

Going home?

I would rather poke myself in the eye with a shitty stick than go back to that place.

Ever since my mother died and my father turned into an alcoholic, I had no choice but to go solo, leaving my father and his home in Dorset, and find a cheap flat in Stockport. I had been living here for 3 years, somehow...

A piece of light brown hair fell in front of my face, a loose piece from the plait in my hair that was tied back with a pink ribbon. I pushed it back behind my ear, yet as always, it fell back into place in front of my bright green eyes, the moonlight reflecting in them. Strutting down the street, the street-lights were shining down on me. The lights of the houses were off; and everyone was asleep. Everything was silent.

"You are such a... BITCH. Rayne."

"Whatever, Jessica." I shouted back. She would kill the perfect silence to think in.

I just wanted to get to my place. Next to the river, underneath a low hanging tree tree, the sand tickling my toes...

Better not think about that now. I should really enjoy it when I get there.

On my journey, I walked past my aunties old house: a small bungalow with wooden windows, the wood being covered with white cracked paint: she refused to have them replaced.

She was the only thing I had left in my small pathetic life.

Yet, like a good majority of my family, she passed away because of lung cancer. I was lucky to not be influenced by the rest of my family: they had a habit of smoking and drinking: smoking in particular.

At last.

Paradise.

I kicked off my black 'army boots', rolled down my knee high socks and took them off my feet, and proceeded to sit down on the grass, my feet dancing in the cool, soothing sand. Even though the cold air tickled the pale skin on my legs, it was a nice sensation to feel. Sometimes, during the day, I would go and paddle in the river when no-one was around, so I was used to cold.  
>I closed my eyes, the cool breeze hitting my face, the plait dancing with the wind, the left over ribbon flapping in the air. Anyone who walked past would have thought I had escaped from the nearest mental hospital. The metallic light of the moon shone on the river, a silver reflection forming on the water, creating a mix of waving silver patterns on the waters surface.<p>

This was my place, were all my worries would drown into the river.

"Oi!"

Now what?  
>Who was here?<br>I stood up, quickly pulling my socks back up, and tying the black laces of my boots in a quick bow.  
>"Who the fuck's there?" I shouted, getting defensive and angry, the instinct in my stomach telling me something bad was going to happen.<p>

All of a sudden, I felt a large object smack the back of my head, yet I had no worry: the pain was only a flash as I fell to the floor, blackness surrounding me, as the cape that was attached to my top flopped over my still body.

* * *

><p>"Where did you find her?"<p>

"In the remains of the sector 7 slums."

I heard voices surround me as my consciousness soon began to return to my mind and it replaced the black sheet of confusion with two voices: apparently I was in the presence of a woman and a man.

"How did you know she was there?" The female voice asked.

"I just... instincts, you know." The male voice replied.

I slowly opened my eyes to witness the conversation that was going on before me. I saw a blonde man, his hair spiked up, yet his the light locks seemed to be free of any hair gel. The woman opposite was behind the bar the man was sitting at. She had sleek, black hair that reached her shoulders, and her eyes were wine coloured. I couldn't see the man's eyes, as he was facing away from me.

"Instinct?"

"I felt like just... going there."

"This is just like Denzel." The woman said quietly, wiping a glass and placing it behind the bar.

"Hey, I... I think she's waking up." The young woman said, and smiled towards me. Her smile was warm and caring, and instantly made me feel welcome.

"At last." The spiky-haired man stood up, and turned to face me. I then realised that I was lying in a small booth inside a bar, covered with a blanket and the hood still over my face, covering my hair and my eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, a kind smile on his face.

"Well," I sat up, placing the blanket on the nearest table. "I was wondering if you could tell me were I am?"

I looked into his beautiful eyes: they glowed a strange turqoise colour, but they were gorgeous. His stern yet soft eyebrows matched the colour of his bright blonde hair, and his face was pretty yet handsome at the same time; I also noticed he was a well built man, as his arms were muscley and toned.

"You're in 7th heaven, in Edge."

I think my face said it all: I didn't have a clue where I was, what I was doing here: all I remembered was being knocked out. I saw the man turn around, and mumble a few words.

"Maybe she has amnesia: she was passed out."

"I'm not sure: just, let her stay." Tifa grinned her kind smile at me once again, and proceeded to clean the glasses behind the bar; her face still seeming to remain cheerful.

"So, err..." Tifa said quietly.

"The name's Rayne."

"So, Rayne, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want. I might need to find out a bit more about you first though, if you don't mind..."

I soon found it hard to keep my eyes open, and I fell back down into a sleeping position.

* * *

><p>Cloud looked over to her once more, intent on getting a closer look at her, however, his hopes were short lived, as the hood cast a shadow on her face, and he didn't seem too keen on intruding on her slumber.<p>

"I'm gonna take her upstairs."

"Where will she sleep?" Tifa queeried.

"She can have my bed," Cloud walked over to the sleeping woman, and picked her up with ease, trying not to wake her up. He smiled at Tifa shyly to be met with an equally warming smile, and he trod upstairs, his movements quiet. He then nudged the door open with his left foot, and placed her onto his small single bed.

"It's not much, but it'll do I suppose..." His sentence was cut short, as he took his opportunity to look at her, as her hood had slipped off her head.

He looked at her, taking in her delicate features: her closed eyes, which he recalled to be a light green colour; her pale smooth skin; her light brown plaited hair with the small pink ribbon. Shock came over the blond's face as the strong scent of familiarity invaded his head, along with the feeling of dizziness and confusion. He ran out of the room as quietly and as he could, and ran down the stairs with little grace.

"Cloud-!" Tifa shouted after him, but he continued to go outside, start his bike, and go on a long ride.

He was going to need a lot of time to think.

* * *

><p>"Huh?" I awoke to find myself in a small room, lying on a surprising comfy bed. I sat up, to find 'Tifa' Sat on the small chair facing my bed.<p>

"Finally! You woke. Didn't mean to creep you you out or anything, just thought it would be safe to keep an eye on you,"

I looked at her wine eyes, the sparkle in them still dancing: she seemed like a nice woman.

"No, it's fine... how did I-"

"Cloud brought you up here."

"Cloud..." I took a moment to take in the name, and I could feel the tiredness wash over me again.

"So, do you want to tell me a bit about yourself?"

"My name is Rayne Stones... I am 21 years old, and I'm not from round here... in fact I can't even remember where I was brought up..."

I figured she would think I was a raving lunatic if I told her the true story of where I was from.

"I see. Must have amnesia. Well, since you told me about you... My name is Tifa Lockhart, I'm from the small village of Neibelhiem, and I am 25 this year." She finished her sentence, and smiled at me.

What I would give to be so positive like that.

"Well, I'll leave you to sleep-"

"May I ask something?" I felt nosy asking more questions than I should.

"Of course."

"Why do you wear that ribbon? I saw Cloud wear it too." I knew I shouldn't have said anything, as Tifa's face dropped slightly. I felt like a five year old, asking such a nosy question like that.

"Trust me, you will find out soon."

I nodded, and lay back down, pulling the covers over me.

"Oh, by the way..." I said just before she left the room.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay: I feel more at home here then I probably ever have."

I saw a glimpse of a smile as she walked out without saying a word, and I continued to slumber in the cosy bed.


	2. Breakfast at Tifa's

The smell of food wafted throughout the hallway, and soon dispersed into my nostrils, and suddenly the only thing I wanted was food: I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours come to think of it. I wanted to get up, but my body was paralyzed and refusing to lift it's heavy weight.

"Ugghh... so this isn't a dream after all..." The smell of food didn't completely replace the smell of the room in general. This guy called 'Cloud' had a 'smell,' like some people do I suppose. It was like a mix of leather and strangely enough, petrol, accompanied with the smell of mints.

I heaved myself out of bed, realizing I still had my clothes on from yesterday, and I felt dirty sleeping in my 'day clothes.' Walking over to the full length mirror I looked better than I had initially thought: the bags under my eyes were merely little black smudges under my eyes now, and my hair was no-where near as messy as I had assumed. I threw off my hoodie, and revealed my tank top, which was a dark Grey in colour, complementing my black short-shorts and black socks. My hoodie was also black, but with white stripes running down the edge of the zip. Surprisingly, I didn't feel unclean at all.

"Hey, erm... Rayne, is it?"

I turned round to see Cloud standing at the doorway: he was looking at me, but seemed unable to look me in the eye for some strange reason.

"If you want food, breakfast is being served downstairs." He still seemed shy, yet had a strange confidence that I couldn't work out.

"Alright then. By the way, your rooms smells nice." I blurted out, for no apparent reason. I felt my cheeks go hot, and we both laughed slightly

"Sorry, that was a bit random-"

"Come on, your food is going to get cold," The blonde stood straight, no longer leaning in the doorway, and I heard his heavy footsteps clunk on the wooden stairs.

* * *

><p>Cloud couldn't distinguish what he was feeling as he watched the young woman almost wolf down her food. He couldn't make himself look her in the eye or to talk to her unless completely necessary: even though his guilt was seen to be cured almost 3 years ago, the young man in his late twenties still didn't quite have the confidence to step up a little bit more.<p>

"This is really good... thanks," Rayne said between mouthfuls of sausage and bacon and other pieces of food on the porcelain plate.

"Glad you like it," Tifa sat down at the table, having already had her breakfast in the earlier hours of the morning. She smiled to herself, then at Cloud, hoping the sweet smile would be contagious; but her hopes were smashed as he smiled unenthusiastically, and then lowered his head once again, staring at the wooden table.

Tifa pondered on what was getting Cloud down: he was fine until last night, when he rushed out of the house, leaving her with 3 silent sleeping people: something that didn't appeal to her when she felt like talking to someone.

"You want any food Cloud?" Tifa asked.

"Think I'll skip, thanks." Tifa frowned at his response and looked down at the table, creating an awkward silence between the two.

"Right, I've finished this, what should I-" Rayne stopped her sentence short, and raised her eyebrows in suspicion and confusion. "I'll just but it in the sink shall I?" Tifa woke up from her trance all too soon in her opinion, shook her head and took the plate out of the brunette's hands, then washed it in the sink.

"You know what Cloud, you need to start eating more."

"I just don't feel hungry, that's all."

Tifa continued to wash the dirty dishes and pans, a frown replacing her usual smile: she knew what happened last time this happened. He became separated from the outside world, and left Tifa with two children to take care of. Guilt consumed his once innocent mind, and tore him apart fro the inside: as much pain it caused her, she couldn't bear to see him in so much pain yet again.

"How about you go out to the market and get some bread, we're running short." Tifa said through gritted teeth.

"Sure," Cloud stood up, and walked towards the hook with the key to Fenrir.

"And take Rayne with you. She needs to know the place."

Cloud froze for a few seconds, then his shoulders relaxed as he grabbed the key off the hook.

"Sure, If she wants." Cloud mumbled, and turned round to face the brunette woman.

"Errm, sure, it would be good to get around the place more I suppose," she stood up, and followed Cloud out of the door, giving Tifa a smile.

* * *

><p>I wasn't sure why I said yes: probably so I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. But I couldn't help feeling happy that I got to see more of the small town I would be staying in. When we stepped outside, I could smell the streets for the first time: it was a mix of fuel and slight dampness, yet it wasn't a bad smell.<p>

"So, err, how far is to the market?"

"'Bout fifteen minutes." He replied whilst he stood up the bike, and flicked up the stand. It was quite an amazing bike, I had to admit: it was black, with gold, smooth looking plates at the front, and it was very large for a motorcycle.

"Nice bike," I said, trying to at least seem kind.

He sat on the bike, and nodded at me, which I took as an indication to get onto the vehicle with him: I stepped over it slowly, and sat on the seat.

"Hold tight: could be a bumpy ride." Without much notice, a roar of a load engine made me jump, and I grabbed onto Cloud without thinking as I felt the bike begin to move forwards at a speed I was not used to. When I grabbed onto his waist and wrapped my arms around him, I felt his toned muscles through his clothing, lean and fine: they tensed for a small moment, but then soon began to slowly relax as the journey continued towards the market. He was warm, and I rested my head on his back, my mind going into a daze.

He didn't seem to mind my touch anymore: he probably thought I was a complete weirdo, the way he was reacting around me.

I closed my eyes, as I felt the wind rush across my face, blowing my long pigtail back, and the pink ribbon fluttering and dancing in the harsh wind. I ignored the fact that I wasn't wearing a helmet or any type of protection, and As far as I knew, clod wasn't wearing any either, apart from a pair of small, black goggles. I felt the bike go through twists and turns as we progressed to our destination. It all ended to soon, however.

"We're here."

I opened my eyes and took my hands away from him to see a vast amount of stalls and small shops that were surrounded by bustling people. We also received a few stares from some random people, but we ignored them. He was probably used to it anyway, riding a bike that was the size of a small car would naturally draw some attention, I suppose.

"Come on. If you want to know the place better, you've gotta keep up." Cloud mumbled, and he chained his bike against the nearest pole.

"So, err..." I had to jog to keep up with him; for a small man, he was certainly a fast walker. "What's your job?"

He stopped in front of the bakery stall, and picked up a loaf of bread. "I... I have a delivery service that I run, if that's what you mean." He pulled out a few coins from his pocket which belonged to a currency I didn't recognize, and it must have shown on my face, because he gave me the change, which confused me completely.

"It's as simple as it looks." Cloud looked at me in the eye for what seemed to be the first time. "Gil is a matter of coins. If it says 130 gil, that's what you give. 10 gil is equal to one of these," He held up a small gold coin, slighty bigger and thinner to to the one pound coin I was used to. "5 gil is equal to this," He held up a small, circular shiny silver coin. "And it pretty much works the same for everything else. Whatever number it has on it, is the amount it's worth. So, how much change have I given you ?"

I looked down into the palm of my hand. I could help getting this patronizing feeling, but he was being as serious as he could be. I counted the numbers on the coins. Each different amount seemed to be a different shape or colour, so that helped.

"100 gil?"

"Correct. When you get used to it, you don't have to count the numbers on the coins, just judge them by the colour and how they look. You can buy a potion for about 50 gil-"

"Potion?"

Cloud looked at me like a didn't have a brain for a minute, but then smirked to himself.

"It's like talking to Marlene when I'm talking to you."

"Who?"

"Never mind, I'll tell you more when we get back. But consult me before you buy anything, because they traders with give you a bum deal if you don't know what you're doing."

I nodded in response. I didn't know this guy could talk so much.

"So, shall I show you around?" Cloud said with a slight smile. Finally, he was getting used to my company, which was a relief. I jogged to keep up with him as he paced around the market, pointing to things, and saying things like 'Watch that guy, he's a dodgy one,' or 'That's a good place for...'. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but I was having the best time I had in a while. I got smiles from people, and I smiled back, with a genuine smile.

I hadn't smiled like that for years. This place seemed to have the effect of making me forget about what happened in my 'previous world.' I forgot about all my troubles, and just thought of the present, and enjoyed myself as much as I could, being a 21 year woman: though mentally, I was a 17 year old girl.

"How about you buy something with the money I gave you?" Cloud said, a neutral expression on his face.

"Sure, why not?" I replied with a slight grin, and I walked around to see what there was to buy. I considered food, but I wanted something to symbolize my stay here. I finally stopped off at a jewellery stall, and admired all the things I could buy. Cloud looked out of place amongst all the jewellery: he stood there awkwardly, wile I browsed around. My eye got caught on a locket that was a heart shape, and was a decent size so I could actually fit a small picture in there. It was a shiny silver, and had the word 'family' engraved on it. Even though I had no family left, I could stick a picture of the one I previously had in there. It was the exact amount of money I had, so I asked the person working at the stall if I could purchase it.

"Ahh, this one." He took it out of the display box, held it carefully in his hands and let me have a close look at it. I also noticed how thin the chain was, and the heart was the size of a 2 pound coin. "This is on sale, reduced from 250 gil to 100. you are lucky to catch this beauty now." He placed the pendant in a box, and I exchanged the money for it.

We walked back towards the bike: I had a smile on my face as I undid the clasp, put it round my neck and tucked it underneath my top.

"Thank you for buying this for me." I said, a smile on my face.

"I didn't-"

"But you gave me the money. So thank you."

He smiled slightly, before he returned to his usual stern expression, and headed towards his bike.

* * *

><p>When we got home, Cloud and me were welcomed with a smile from Tifa, and curious looks from 2 children: one had messy brown hair and bright blue eyes, and the girl had brown hair in a similar style to mine. It was tied up in a plait with a pink ribbon at the top, and she had light brown eyes. I returned the confused look, then looked at Tifa for answers.<p>

"Denzel, Marlene, say hello to Rayne. She's going to be staying with us for a while, so introduce yourselves."

The young girl walked towards me first and held her hand out towards me. "My name's Marlene Wallace, it's a pleasure to meet you... Rayne."

I smiled at her, then bent my knees so I was down to her level. "So, you're the one Cloud told me about." I returned her handshake, and gave her a big smile which she returned.

"What did he say about me?"

"Never you mind little lady." I said back, and she pulled a face at Cloud. Then, the young boy walked towards me and held out his hand.

"My name is Denzel. It's nice to meet you, Rayne." He said it with a smile on his face, and I shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too Denzel."

Boy, I was jealous of this 'family.' Even if they weren't related, they all loved each other, and they had each other. I had no one left, and no one seemed to want to contribute in making a family in my world.

I stood up, and smiled towards them all. "I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here with you. If I become a bother, please, kick me out straight away." The kids giggled a little, and Tifa smiled. Cloud seemed to have disappeared, and the curiosity showed on my face, as Tifa explained for me. "He had a phone-call to attend to. He runs a delivery service, So he's a busy man." I nodded at her, and smiled.

Dammit, why did my face reflect everything I was thinking?

I was surprised with how well I was taking this: I was in a world I had never been in before: yet I was staying in a house with a family of complete strangers who were becoming my friends. I supposed my mind was recognizing this as a fantasy dream; in a completely new world; with completely new things: but I knew better than anything that this was far from a dream. I could sense everything; feel everything; remember anything, and I had many a red mark underneath my jacket on my arm from the large amount of times I had pinched myself to wake myself from this 'fantasy dream.'

But I had a feeling this was far from a dream… and it wasn't going to end any time soon.


	3. Hot Chocolate

Hey guys!

Sorry this took so long to update, busy times -.-

Anyway, enjoy!

I couldn't sleep.

I closed my eyes, I counted sheep, I counted to 1000, yet my mind or body was refusing to let me sleep. I had nothing to do, apart from to stare around the room, and take in the simple surroundings: the bookshelf; the small desk; the wardrobe; a set of drawers and a bedside table. I was still fully clothed, as I saw no point in putting on pyjamas if I wasn't going to bed anytime soon. I sat up, crossed my legs and put my hands in my lap.

I thought for a while, wondering how long this fantasy would last. This maybe virtual world, maybe just a fragment of my imagination, maybe just a dream, was probably going to end soon.

But if this was all real, would I ever return to my world? My home? But of course, this place was probably the closest to home I ever had. In fact, I envied the people who lived here: Cloud, Tifa, Denzel and Marlene. I envied them for their family relationship, I envied them for their home, I envied them for... everything. Yet this wasn't time for jealousy.

I wondered how I would tell them where I came from, if I had to. Maybe everything would go back to 'normal' before I even got to that point: hopefully I would never need to tell them, yet I couldn't keep it a secret for a while. That was one of my weaknesses, keeping my own secrets, yet I was brilliant at keeping everybody else's. Why am I so strange...?

I gripped the locket round my neck, and felt the intricate writing on the heart.

_Family..._

I should have given this to Tifa as a gift for letting me stay, but I wanted something to symbolise my stay here. I would earn Gil, and then buy them all gifts as thanks.

But how would I earn Gil?

Never mind about that. Better not look forward, or predict, or expect anything to happen. I gave up looking forward a long time ago. I'd only be disappointed in my wishes or predictions didn't come true, much like many times before.

Suddenly, I heard feet pitter-patter across the hallway, and then downstairs and into the bar.

Must just be one of the kids getting a drink of water.

The sound of running water could be heard, followed by the water filling up the glass, then the mystery person walking back up the stairs and back into their room. From the heavy footsteps, I assumed it was Denzel, the brown-haired 10 years old I had taken a liking to. He was a sweet, yet shy boy, who stuck to Cloud like a magnet, and for his age was really quite the gentleman.

Marlene was very similar to Denzel, yet also completely different: she was a kind girl, who would happily take your coat and hand it for you, yet she was a confident and young 8 year old girl, who would say her opinion no matter the situation, and always work out what you were thinking. She was very intelligent for her age, and I assumed that both the children were sent to a local school, yet I hadn't seen a school around.

I sat there in complete silence for another couple of minutes, until I heard movements in the next room to the right.

_Well, if Tifa's room is across from mine and the kid's room was next to hers, which must mean..._

Cloud was awake in the storage room, and I could hear pen scratching the surface of paper, and I presumed he was bored and writing up notes on his deliveries. I could go and ask him but...

_How would you like it if someone came into your room and asked you what you were doing?_

Nah, think I'll leave him be.

At least he seems to be relaxing around me. But he looks at me like... like he's done something to me that he regretted, but I had never seen this guy before in my life. Maybe he just looked at people like that. But when he was with the kids, his personality changed completely. He smiled warmly at them, and joked with them, and even went as far to play board games with them, Tifa had told me. I also noticed when I was still eating my dinner, and everyone else had finished, he was showing them places he had been, and the kids were helping him with his reports by reading them to him. Whenever they didn't know how to say something, he would hand them a piece of paper and a pen, and told them to write it down three times, saying that if they didn't know how to spell it, they wouldn't know how to read it.

I was running out of things to think about now...

Maybe I could go and speak to Cloud, he was still writing his reports, and he was the only one awake, not including me.

_Curiosity killed the cat..._

_But satisfaction brought it back._

I creeped out of my room, taking care not to wake up anyone else, and tiptoed next door, to see the door open and Cloud crouched in a corner, with a book in his hands which resembled a diary.

_Cloud has a diary? That would be interesting to read..._

No, I won't try to read his diary...

...Now all I was doing was giving myself ideas.

Maybe I should go back...

As I started to creep back to my room, I heard a voice emerging from the small room.

"You know, being stealthy isn't your strong point."

"Ahhh shit." I whispered, and stood peeked my head around his door.

"Can't sleep?"

"No." I replied bluntly, my face blushing.

"You know, for how old you are, you act a lot younger." He said with a smirk on his face.

"Errr... thanks."

"Here," He threw a small packet towards me, and I caught it with ease. As I studied it closer, I noticed it was a sachet of hot chocolate. "The milk is in the bottom shelf of the fridge. Just heat some up in the pan. You should find a pan in the cupboard under the sink. Should get you sleepy."

"Thank you, but, why do you have this?"

"You never know when you might need something to drink. This is a storage room, so some emergency food and powder drinks are in here." He said, his eyes never lifting from his book that he was scribbling in.

"Thanks, but I don't like milk." I said truthfully, with an apologetic smile on my face.

Cloud looked up, looking her in the eye and raised his hand, and caught the sachet as Rayne threw it back. "Sorry." She said, and grinned at him. He nodded at her, closed the book, placed it under his pillow, and then stood up, placing the sachet in a box. He looked at her, noticing she was still wearing her clothes that she had been wearing throughout the day.

"You need pyjamas."

"No, I-"

"It wasn't a question. Here, have these..." He rummaged through a box and pulled out a shirt and a pair of loose trousers that were far too big for Rayne, but he threw them at her anyway. "Maybe if you were wearing pyjamas you'd feel more sleepy."

"Thanks..." She held the tumble of clothes in her hands, and smiled again. "I'll try to sleep now. Night."

She walked out of the room, and closed the door behind her, and Cloud heard the rustle of clothes, then silence.

Cloud pulled the book out from him pillow, and wrote a few more sentences before returning the book to it's rightful place. He got into bed, then fell asleep.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was good. Tifa instructed me to take Rayne to the market, so while we were there, I told her how the currency works. She looked so confused: she is so easy to read though, so I knew that she didn't understand anything. I feel like with Rayne... I have another chance. It's just that I can't get rid of the guilt, even if I had long forgiven myself. It's just that, she reminds me so much of her._

_Yet the conversation we just had.. it seemed so natural._

_I hope that she doesn't think I'm being to forward: teaching her about money, taking her to the market, giving her my old clothes... but I feel that I have been given one more chance to look after someone, and I needed to succeed this time. I couldn't let anything happen to her, I want her to be as happy as Aerith was with me._

_And Aerith, I hope you can see what I am writing, hear what I'm thinking. Thank you for giving me another chance. I will use it wisely._

_Cloud._

* * *

><p>The morning came too early for my liking. I eventually fell asleep in the 'pyjamas' Cloud had given me, which were surprisingly helpful. I had fallen asleep about 10 minutes after the encounter with him, but I got roughly got 5 hours of sleep in total.<p>

It was sunny outside, making it even harder to go back to sleep. Yet I soon gave up, and sat up in the bed I was staying in, which made me feel guilty: I would happily sleep in the storage room, but according to Tifa, Cloud insisted in staying in the small room with a camping bed and a light. He seemed like a stubborn bastard, and I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. However, the stubbornness allowed me to see that he had a kind heart at least. And he was a good looking man, with his blonde hair, glowing blue eyes, and a handsome face. He had a pretty face, and would probably be a perfect cross-dresser if we wanted to. (A.N: haha, he already has experience xD)And Tifa was also a beautiful woman, with ruby coloured eyes, an amazing figure, and a beautiful face to match. This family was so beautiful: the children were pretty, even Denzel.

I considered thinking in bed for a while, but my boredom overcame the thoughts. I got out of bed, stood up, and pulled up my trousers, them being far to big for my petite figure.

* * *

><p>The day went quickly for Rayne: it was a simple 'chill day,' where she found out more about the people who were looking after her.<p>

"Well, you see, Marlene and Denzel are not our own: Marlene's father is out traveling, so we look after her, but Denzel..." Tifa looked around to see Denzel sitting in one of the booths at the bar, drawing or writing something or other. "We found him. His parents were killed in the accident 4 years ago-"

"Accident?" Rayne queried, with a confused face that was so easy to read.

"Gosh, I have got some explaining to do haven't I... I'll go get us something to drink, yeah?"

Tifa walked out, and returned to the kitchen with 2 glasses of what seemed to be blackcurrant juice.

"Well, four years ago a company called 'ShinRa Electric Power Company' caused some... problems. They were draining the planet's energy, and using it as a power source. Me and Cloud were part of an Anti-ShinRa group called AVALANCHE, and our goal was to stop ShinRa's antics, and bring peace back to the Planet but... things just got less and less peaceful."

Tifa explained how the 7th sector got destroyed, and how Cloud found Denzel outside 'his' church. She also told Rayne how Sephiroth almost destroyed the planet by summoning Meteor, a powerful bit of black magic. Rayne was certainly perplexed and curious about the subject, and when she asked Tifa about 'Cloud's church, Tifa simply said "You'll find out sooner or later."

Even though curious, Rayne decided not to press on the subject, and went to hunt for Cloud, only to find him cleaning his 'precious' motorbike.

"You know, that's a real beauty of a bike you have there."

Cloud turned around, and saw Rayne leaning on the back door with her arms crossed, and a smirk on her face. "But I must admit, it certainly is an individual bike."

Cloud stood up off his knees, and walked over to Rayne. "I can agree with you on that." He had a slight smile on his face, and his hands were on his hips as he inspected the bike.

"I think that should do it. Want to have a ride?" Cloud said, obviously trying to be nice.

"But you just cleaned it-"

"No matter when I ride it, it will get dirty, so I may as well still ride it."

"Why don't you ask Tifa?"

"She's been on it dozens of times."

"Well, alright then."


	4. Meeting the RedHead

_Hi guys!  
>I know I'm a slow updater, so please forgive me -.-<br>It's really great to see all these positive reviews (all of 6 xD) and it really is a great 'booster' for me to write. I hope the last chapter explained why Cloud was being so patronising/upfront to Rayne._

_And thanks to Aichioluv, bluez2015, PureAngelEyes for reviewing and sticking to this story! and extra cookies for aichioluv for helping me too :]_

_Plus, if it seems Rayne acts like a 13 year old, it's just how she is mentally, but physically she is a fully fledged adult... enjoy :D_

* * *

><p>I wasn't sure why I had said yes... again... but once again, I was glad my big gob took over my initial thoughts. I hadn't the heart to turn him down. Well I probably did, I just didn't want to.<p>

In 'my own world', I could be pretty mean, but I decided to make a fresh start here, and not look like a complete jackass: it would only make things a hell of a lot harder. I had realised that along time ago, that being mean doesn't get you what you want, but a sudden change in the way I acted would only make people suspicious.

But that was only another one of my pointless theories.

"Well, go get the keys from the hook next to the kitchen door." Cloud said as he checked the bike over once again.

"Sure."

Apparently, finding a set of keys was far too difficult for my simple brain, but I was determined to find them without anyone else's help.

Damn my independency and stubbornness.

I was waiting for a sarcastic comment from Cloud whilst I was taking forever to find the small set of keys for the bike, but none came. Another reason I liked Cloud.

I knew the procedure: he would sit on his bike, start it up, give me the signal to get on, put on his goggles, then get set, go, he would shoot off: along with me. I held my arms around his waist, dreading what would happen if I let go.

"Relax!" Cloud shouted as we overtook a few cars. "We aren't even going fast yet!"

"Huh?" This seemed faster than the time we went to the market, and here we were only on a few small roads.

"You'll only give yourself muscle pains!" He once again shouted over the noisy engine. I took his advice and relaxed slightly, loosening my grip on his waist. Then, I almost heard the grin he was pulling as we sped off on what seemed to be a motorway.

I did anything put relax at that moment.

I only tightened my grip on his and buried my face into his back, not even intentionally.

"Having fun?-!" Cloud shouted.

"Errgghhh..."

"Ha ha, good to know!" Once again he sped up to overtake a small lorry, and twisted and turned throughout the rows of cars on the road without a care in the world it seemed. At least I knew what really made him smile. Never mind settling down and marrying a woman: all he needed was his baby girl: Fenrir.

That seemed like a very 'Cloud' thing to do: name his bike after an animal. I wasn't sure what animal it was however, I only assumed it had something to do with the wolf on his left shoulder. Yes, a wolf, very much like Cloud.

'Quiet and sensitive, but when you go near his pack, he gets very territorial.'

That also seemed like a very Tifa thing to say when she told me that. When she said pack, I assumed it represented his possessions and his dignity. Or just Fenrir, I wasn't quite sure myself.

As scary as the bike experience was, I had never had a better time to think to myself: one half of my brain was thinking about my current life situation and the people in it, and the other half was thinking what my body would look like sprawled out over the motorway. I soon felt the bike slow down and I could smell petrol and diesel as Fenrir soon came to a stop.

I waited with the bike as Cloud marched off to pay for the fuel, and took it to my advantage to have a closer look of this 'Fenrir.' I bent down to inspect the intricate details of the bike but was interrupted by a foreign voice.

"You a newbie, yo?"

I turned round to see a lanky man leaning on one of the pumps, his arms crossed, a cheeky smile on his face. Spiky, bright red hair sat atop his head, and a pair of goggles were pinned upon his forehead. His eyes seemed to stand out the most however: they were a powerful aqua-marine blue, contrasting with the two red marks underneath them.

"How does that concern you?"

He stood up straight, and walked closer towards me, a smirk on his face, but no nastiness showed. I instinctively stood up straight myself, and faced him head on, my muscles tensed.

"Oh, just curious: never seen you around here, and I've never seen you in any records either... Not meaning to be nosey or anything yo, but where are you from exactly?" He looked at me straight in the eyes, obviously inspecting me to see what I was: yet I allowed him to inspect me. I stared into his eyes too, eye contact not breaking. His eyes widened, and he back-stepped slightly, almost walking into another of the petrol pumps.

"Problem?" I said through my teeth: this guy was beginning to push my buttons now.

"No, you... you can't..." The red-head stuttered, confusion taking over his somewhat stern face. "You look just like..."

"What are you doing here, Reno?" Cloud walked over, his eyebrow raised. Reno instantly regained his composure and turned to face him.

"Me and Rude were out for drive, and y'know, you ain't the only one who was short on fuel, yo." Reno replied, and looked over to me again and raised his eyebrow also. "So, you're with this one eh? She looks awfully familiar I must admit..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shrieked at him, a deadly look on my face. I didn't care if I was acting like a three year old; I wanted to know what was going on.

"Ignore him Rayne, he's just an idiot, that's all. Catch you later Reno. Tell Rude I said hi." Cloud said as he sat on his bike, and gestured me to get on with him.

The pissed off red-head's face slowly became further and further away as we pulled out of the petrol station and onto the road, and I braced myself for the immense speed.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry, that was pretty pathetic for all that wait wasn't it? Well, we got to meet another character... will Reno's curiosity change things? You'll find out soon! Well, with my slow updating, you probably won't... Thanks for reading, please review :3<strong>


	5. Vanilla Earl Grey Tea

_**Sorry for the terribly late update. Stuff has happened, and I have being procrastinating, and lazy. But I will try and get this out on a weekly basis, with a 1 thousand words at least. I will try as hard as I can! Well, here we go, enjoy if you can! :)**_

"What was that about?"I enquired. Cloud looked up from his newspaper, not looking too amused to see me.

"What do you mean?" Cloud put his newspaper back in front of his face, and continued reading the apparently interesting article.

"Don't act stupid. What was with the guy at the petrol station?" I leant forward, propping myself on the table with my hands.

Cloud huffed loudly, and lowered his newspaper once again. "I already told you: he's just a bit of an idiot." He covered his face once again.

"Don't act that way with-" I stopped talking and lowered Cloud's newspaper with my hand. "You wear glasses?"

"Only when I'm reading." Saying this, he smugly pushed his reading glasses back into place. "Why? Don't I seem like the type of person to wear glasses?"

"Well... no, not really." I removed my hand from his newspaper. "You kind of look... handsome." Cloud's eyes widened at my compliment, but his composure way quickly regained.

"Well then, I'll remind myself to wear them next time I'm in battle. I'm sure I'll knock down the enemies with my handsome glasses."

"Wow Cloud, not being sarcastic are you?" I said with a straight face, arms crossed.

"No of course not, why would you think I was being sarcastic?"

"Urghhh, are you going to explain who that guy is or what?"

Cloud closed his paper, placed it on the table, took off his glasses, and pulled a glasses case out of nowhere.

"Ooooh, nice glasses case you've got there." I said mockingly. He looked at me in the eye, and gave me the ultimate death stare. He then continued with putting his glasses in the case, and put it in his pocket.

"He's a friend of mine. He helps me out with errands every so often, but we sometimes don't get along so well. He obviously tried to confuse you as a joke by saying what he said. Like I said, just ignore him. When he's not on the mission to annoy people, he isn't that bad of a person."

"I'm still not convinced."

Cloud stood up and proceeded to leave the kitchen.

"It'll have to do then, won't it?" He said in a growly voice.

"Don't get your panties in a twist." I said.

Cloud turned round to face me, a confused look on his face. "Excuse me?"

I looked up, and smirked. "You heard me."

"Well, you know what, I'm sorry that YOU don't believe me."

"And I'm sorry that I can't help that be curious that someone I don't even know says I remind him of someone else, and as far as I know, I've never even set foot in this wo- city." I growled back.

"Well I've already said, I don't know what he meant!" He was starting to get angry now.

"My gut feeling can detect bullshit, and my gut feeling is usually never wrong."

"Don't call me a bullshitter, I wouldn't lie to anyone, including you!"

"I'm just going to ask you one question Cloud: are you keeping anything from me that I want to know?" I said calmly. I don't want to argue with him. I despise arguing, and any kind of loud conflict.

"..." Cloud looked at me, frowning. "No."

"...I don't believe you."

"And I think you should stop asking questions."

"And I think you should pull that stick out of your arse." I wasn't sure where that one came from.

"And I think I should have left you to fend for yourself in sector 7, if I knew what it would be like!" He yelled.

Ouch, that stung a little.

The expression on Cloud's face softened, as he realised what he just said. "Rayne, I'm sorry..."

"No, I'm sorry, I should stop poking my nose in other people's business."

"No Rayne... you have every right to be curious, but I didn't mean what I said-"

"Neither did I. Sorry."

The silence was awkward as it was... well, silent."Trust me, I'm sure things will make sense to you soon. But for now let's just try and get on, okay?"

"...Sure." I said with a smile.

* * *

><p>I spent the rest of the evening lying in my, or technically, Cloud's room, and I fiddled with the locket I had been bought only a few days before; twisting it in my fingers; opening and closing the small door covering the picture holder.<p>

"How am I going to get home from this fantasy?" To be honest, I wasn't even sure what this was anymore. Too detailed to be dream; too long to be a mere fragment of my imagination: I was soon beginning to wonder if I was ever going to return home. Yet it seemed this world and the life I was living in it was more enjoyable than the one back home.

But where was home?

"Urrrghh." I buried my face into the pillow, and sulked to myself for what seemed like hours, until I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Exactly 18 days had passed since the day Rayne found herself in the fantasy world and pretty much the same happened everyday: Rayne would wake up; go to the market to collect the goods for dinner; help clean the bar; eat the dinner she would have helped prepare and go to sleep, anticipating the next day.<p>

Occasionally, she would go and join Cloud when he went on his deliveries, and help carry large boxes from his bike to the recipient. During this, she would learn the names of many places, and how get to them, which came in handy when she was asked to run errands: she would just go and rent a bicycle from the local bike store.

However, this morning began different from the moment Rayne went downstairs.

When she arrived at the downstairs kitchen, no one was there to greet her: instead there was a note reading:

'_Had to rush: Denzel had an accident at school, probs at A&E if you're reading this.'_

Rayne recognized the scrawly writing that belonged to Cloud, and smiled.

"I wonder what trouble he's got himself into this time." Rayne opened a cupboard, hoping to find a box of tea-bags, but was only greeted by an empty box.

"Crap." Rayne was considering walking to the local market, when she remembered that there was a storage cupboard upstairs probably filled with extra food and drinks.

When she reached the room, she opened the door to be greeted by the familiar smell of Cloud. It was no surprise: it was the makeshift room whilst she stayed in the actual room. A shoot of guilt hit her chest as she realised how cramped the room really was, but the thought of a nice, hot cup of tea soon dominated her mind, and was scouting for her favourite variety: Vanilla Earl Grey. It was a strong favourite of hers back home, and was surprised to find that the fantasy world, which she taught herself to call Gaia, also supplied the heavenly drink.

She finally saw 3 boxes of tea stacked on top of each other in the far corner, and plodded over towards them, when an interesting object caught her attention. There, clear as day, was Cloud's diary in the middle of the bed.

Rayne stared at the object like it was a chest of gold that had a terrible curse if one touched it: which it essentially was. The temptation was almost too hard to bear.

_I'm sure I could have a little peek..._

_Wait!_

Rayne heard the little devil and angel arguing in her head.

_Look at it... I bet it's full of juicy information._

_But it's far too obvious! He wouldn't just leave it out in the middle of his bed, as clear as day. He's not that stupid._

_On the other hand, I could just have a little peek at one page, and then put it back the same way as before... he'll never know..._

_But it must be a test! Why else would he leave it out like that?_

Rayne bit her lip as she considered doing a deed she would probably regret in the future. But the advantages seemed to outweigh the disadvantages it seemed...

As her hand began to reach towards the diary, she expected laser beams to appear, and alarms to sound, but nothing happened. She wouldn't put it past Cloud to do something like that.

_Wait? What am I doing?_

Her thoughts, as usual, were interrupted: she heard the front door unlock, and someone shout "We're home!"

"Shit!" Rayne said under her breath, and turned round quickly to exit.

However, she moved too quickly, and her arm knocked into something on one of the shelves. The objects wobbled, and collapsed onto a shocked Rayne, creating a large crash and a squeal.

"Rayne?-!"

Footsteps were heard as someone ran in panic up the stairs, and rushed into the storage cupboard.

"Rayne! Are you okay?" Cloud said as he moved the multiple objects off Rayne's body. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he saw a rather dazed looking Rayne. "What happened?"

"I got the tea-bags..." Rayne lifted up her right hand which was holding a box of Vanilla Earl Grey tea. The room got darker and darker for her until it was enveloped in total darkness, and Rayne passed out.

"Oh Rayne. So much like her, but so different..." He said as he scooped her up, causing food and powdered drinks to fall to the ground.

_**Wasn't much was it? Well, it's a slight cliff-hanger I suppose.**_

_**Review if you want! **_


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